By Jan Lundius STOCKHOLM / ROME, Apr 30 2020 (IPS) – For some time Wuhan in China and Lombardy in Italy were epicentres of the COVID-19 virus, something that has changed when the contagion is spreading fast in the US.…
Category: Feature
Social trust and government responses to Covid-19
by Sevasti Chatzopoulou on 4th May 2020 How governments have addressed the pandemic has reflected different levels of social trust—which will have consequences for its aftermath.
Minimum Fitra fixed at Tk 70
Dhaka, May 04 – This year’s minimum Fitra has been fixed at Tk 70 per person.
Positive info on social media must to remove COVID-19 stigma
DHAKA, May 02, 2020 (BSS) – Speakers at a virtual seminar here today called for spreading positive news on social platforms to remove fear and stigma associated with the coronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic in Bangladesh. The speakers made their remarks on live…
May Day: Workers trapped between hunger and fear
The spread of coronavirus left hundreds of thousands of workers without a job and forced hungry workers to work without sufficient safety gears as the world marks the international labour day.With the virus far from vanquished, more countries and states…
Address stigma and prejudices against coronavirus victims
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The Narayanganj Sadar Upazila administration is campaigning to persuade the residents of a mahalla of the district town not to disturb the family of a doctor for contracting coronavirus. Shilpi Aktar, the doctor who has been seeing…
Four scenarios for Europe’s future after the crisis
by Philippe Pochet on 30th April 2020 @philippepochet What kind of Europe will take shape after the coronavirus crisis? Four scenarios, widely varying in their social and ecological consequences, are possible.
The challenge to improve lives after the Covid-19 crisis
By Alexander Trepelkov UNITED NATIONS, Apr 27 2020 (IPS) – The SDGs, with their universal scope, interlinked nature and focus on leaving no one behind will be more essential than ever during and after this (Covid-19) crisis.
Covid-19 stimulus steps must save lives, livelihoods, nature
By Josef Settele, Sandra Díaz, Eduardo Brondizio and Peter Daszak Apr 27 2020 (IPS) – There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic – us. As with the climate and biodiversity crises, recent pandemics are a…
Hajj cancellation wouldn’t be the first
Ken Chitwood, AP/UNB, April 27 – Saudi Arabia has urged Muslims to delay their plans for the hajj, amid speculation that the obligatory pilgrimage may be cancelled this year due to the coronavirus. Earlier this year, Saudi authorities halted travel…
Corona lockdown silences Dhaka’s iftar parties, markets
Dhaka, April 26 – For the first time in centuries, the Chawkbazar Iftar Market in old Dhaka fell silent on Saturday as the government extended general holiday and imposed strict restriction on movement of people to curb the spread of…
Ramadan month of siam from Saturday
The Holy Ramadan, the lunar month of self-purification through fasting and abstinence, begins in the country on Saturday as the new crescent moon was sighted in Bangladesh sky on Friday.
Not more than 12 men in each Tarabi prayer jamaat: Govt
Maximum 12 people, including two imams, can attend Tarabi prayers in mosques each during the holy month of Ramadan.The Religious Affairs Ministry issued a directive on Thursday in this regard.
Europe’s social safety nets were not ready for the corona shock
by Sarah Marchal and Ive Marx on 21st April 2020 @IveMarx The coronavirus crisis has punched a hole in Europe’s safety nets. But they were already frayed and urgent repairs are needed.
Youths come to marginal farmers’ rescue amid virus outbreak
The government-declared shutdown to contain transmission of coronavirus disrupted the supply chain and brought economic activities to a grinding halt, hitting the low-income group and small-scale farmers the hardest. The unprecedented situation forced farmers in many places to sell their…
Coronavirus patient forced to leave home in Laxmipur
A man diagnosed with coronavirus was forced to leave his rented flat after being threatened by his house owner in Ramganj upazila.
Problems facing persons with disabilities and way forward
Amrita Rejina RozarioWith current Covid-19 pandemic flaring up across 210 countries in the world, millions of poor people are already affected and more so in the developing world.
Confusion, seizure, strokes: How COVID-19 may affect brain
A pattern is emerging among COVID-19 patients arriving at hospitals in New York: Beyond fever, cough and shortness of breath, some are deeply disoriented to the point of not knowing where they are or what year it is.
Sunamganj baker sells vegetables at Tk 1 a kg to poor people
There are many ways to help people in need. A man in Tahirpur upazila has come up with a noble initiative to stand by the poor people of his locality in this time of coronavirus crisis. Abul Bashar, a bakery…
Thousands join Janaza in B’baria flouting social distancing
Several thousand people attended the namaz-e-janaza of a religious scholar at Bertala village in Sarail upazila here on Saturday ignoring the risk of coronavirus transmission.
Historic Mujibnagar Day on Friday
The historic Mujibnagar Day will be observed on Friday marking the oath-taking ceremony of country’s first government on April 17, 1971.
Connecting the celluloid dots
Sudhirendar Sharma In times of the pandemic threat which seems not too distant in future but uncertain nonetheless, reliving nostalgic moments provide much-desired comfort. These are the times when indulging in nostalgia helps revive feelings, a kind of matter or…
The coronavirus, health inequality and social democracy
Carol Johnson The coronavirus may be indiscriminate but health inequality means that while all humans are vulnerable, some are more vulnerable than others.
A colourless Pahela Baishakh
Dhaka, April 15 – Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla new year which is synonymous with colour and jubilant celebrations involving the whole nation, were not seen on Tuesday, the first day of the Bengali month of Baishakh…
Pahela Baishakh Tuesday without outdoor programmes
Dhaka, April 13 – Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla calendar, will be celebrated across the country on Tuesday without outdoor programmes due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will be no outdoor programmes this time to avoid public gatherings.
Bangladeshi Hajj agencies seek interest-free Tk 15 bn working capital
Dhaka, April 13 – The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) has demanded the government provide interest-free working capital of Tk 15 bn to cover their losses due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
WIMN calls for new social compact in Covid-19 crisis
‘An inclusive, intersectional feminist approach is the only way out of the COVID crisis’ As the world roils with the human and economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, one thing is clear: this is no time for business as…
Manila red-tagging CSOs, to silence dissent deflect weakness
April 12, 2020 – The Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines (CEC) condemns the recent statement of Southern Luzon Command chief, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., touting the organization along with other civil society organizations (CSOs) as “unwittingly exploited by…
Pope Francis urges people not to ‘yield to fear’ of covid-19
Pope Francis has urged people not to “yield to fear” over coronavirus, calling on them to be “messengers of life in a time of death”. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was speaking at his Easter vigil service on…
Alive Amidst the Mayhem of Covid-19 – A Sex Worker’s Story
By Fairuz Ahmed NEW YORK, Apr 9 2020 (IPS) – For a Bangladeshi woman, who has been a sex worker since childhood, her post-COVID-19 future looks hopeless. Shilpy, who works at Daulatdia, the largest brothel in the country, told IPS…